The Past, Reliving
by Phoenix Audubon
Summary: Some people become who they are because of who they used to be.


_The Past, Reliving_

"Past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide to the future."

_--Chinese proverb_

"It's all locked up, Rusty," said a young man outside of a photography studio late one night.

            "Thanks, Peter.  Well guys, see you all here tomorrow," said the red-haired man to the group of people.  They all walked their separate ways home.  The red-haired man walked across the parking lot like he did every night.  And waiting there, just like every night, was his best friend to walk with him back to their home.

"Another busy night, David?" the woman greeted the man.

"You know it, Christy.  It's kind of funny—lately, we've been getting a lot of requests about, you know, the past.  Reconstructing old photos, making copies of heirloom pictures, converting old slides—it strikes me in an unusual way."

            "What's so unusual about people wanting to remember the past?"  As soon as Christy said that, David's head dropped, and he moaned uneasily.  It was then she remembered that the past was never an easy topic for her friend.  For several years ago, he wasn't known as David D'Arc-Hart, but Dark Heart, a terrible being whose goal had been to erase all caring and kindness in the world to usher in chaos, and also to destroy his former enemies, the Care Bears and the Care Bear Cousins.  However, the Care Bears had defeated Dark Heart, and in the process, he was reduced to being nothing more than a human boy—something he was happy to accept.

            Part of the reason David wanted to be a regular boy was Christy. As Dark Heart, he had tricked her into helping him capture the Care Bear Family, one by one.  In the end, however, it was her friendship that changed him for the better.  In fact, it was Christy who helped David choose his new name ("D'Arc-Hart" was decided upon as his last name, so that he would always remember who he once was and how wrong he had been) and, with the help of the Care Bears, helped him find a new home and a loving family (that just so happened to be very close to Christy's family).

            Now that they were both in adulthood, Christy and David now lived together, but unmarried, in their own place.  David had an interest in photography, and eventually opened his own studio near their home.  The people that worked with him nicknamed him "Rusty" after the bright red color of his hair, but he was always "David" to his friend.  Christy became a college gymnastics coach as well as an accomplished athlete herself.  Every night, she would meet him at the end of the commercial complex where David's studio was, and they would walk home together, enjoying the peaceful nights and each other's company.

            "Well, the past isn't everything," Christy quickly added to quell her friend's uneasiness.  "After all, we're living today, right?  And, we have our whole future ahead of us.  We don't have to sit and think about what's already happened."

            "Yeah, that's true," David replied dejectedly. "Still, it'd be kind of nice if I could look back on my past without any regret."

            "But, that was someone else.  You're you now."

            "You're right," said David.  He decided to just drop the subject altogether right there.  While they were walking, the two noticed a beetle scurrying across their path.  Christy was moving over to avoid it, but David immediately pounced and squashed it underneath his shoe.  He jumped on it repeatedly, with a mischievous grin on his face.

            "David!  What are you doing?" cried Christy at David's actions.  He immediately stopped, and the grin disappeared.  "I…I don't know.  I think we'd better get home soon."  Despite the awkwardness, they continued on.  A short distance later, near a construction site for a tall office building, a stray cat was sitting on top of the surrounding fence.  As Christy and David approached, it suddenly jumped down right in front of them.  Christy was about to bend down and pet it, but David swiftly kicked the poor cat a few feet ahead of them.  It meowed from the hit, and quickly dashed away.

            "Stupid mangy cat!" yelled David as the cat ran.  "Why don't you watch where you're going next time?!"

            "David!"  Christy yelled at him.

            "What!?!" he screamed back.  He looked furious for some reason, and it scared Christy.  As soon as he saw the frightened look on her face, he snapped out of his fury.  "I'm sorry, I'm sorry.  I don't know what came over me just then."

            "David, I'm starting to get worried," said Christy.  "What's going on?"

            "I don't know.  I'm starting to get these…flashes…of anger…and rage…and suffering."  He put his hand on his forehead.  "And now, I've got this splitting headache…"

            David stumbled a few steps into the construction site before falling to his knees.  He was now gripping his head with both hands, and yelping in agony.  "What's…h-happening…to…me!?!  I feel…like I'm…being…torn…apart!"  Christy tried calling for help, but there was no one else around.  It was then that to her horror, David began to glow a bright red.  This light grew into a sphere that completely concealed him.  Part of this sphere began to grow out from the side into a slightly smaller sphere, which soon completely separated from the original one and touched down on the ground close by.  First, the red light began to fade around David, and he fell over to his side.  A few seconds later, the smaller sphere faded away, revealing something no one expected…and everyone feared.

            The sphere of light left behind a young boy of thin build with bright red hair and wearing a bright red jumpsuit.  He was crouching on the ground, but when he stood up, he opened his eyes, revealing irises as red as his hair, followed by a wide, fiendish grin.

            "Finally!  Freedom at last!" the boy shouted.  He looked around, and he saw David (who was now being helped up by Christy).

            "Look what we have here.  It's just disgusting how I've grown up.  I can't believe I had to be stuck in there for so long!"

            "Y…you're," David started to say.

            "That's right, Einstein.  I'm Dark Heart, and what we used to be and should have remained.  But no, you had to get all righteous and…old, while I had to lie dormant all those years.  All because of that accursed Care Bear Family, and…"  He turned his livid gaze on Christy.

            "Christina Davis-Timbs, isn't it?  Even though you were some use to us, you were far too meddling for your own good.  You just _had _to get in the way and mess up our plans.  I've been waiting a long time for some revenge…but lucky for you, I've got other fish to fry."  Dark Heart started to laugh, and as he did, red smoke swirled around him.

            "This time, I will destroy all the kindness in the world, and no one will stop me!  As for those Care Bears…I shall finish what I started at that summer camp!  HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!"

            "Stop!  You can't!"  David jumped away from Christy towards his former self, but he only passed through the red smoke.  The two adults could do nothing but watch as the smoke ascended into the air and took off.  Christy and David looked at each other.

            "What can we do?" asked Christy.

            "I…I don't know," was all David could say.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

            The next day, in the Forest of Feelings, Defender Bear was lying against a tree facing the Rainbow River.  He had his cloak laid over him like a blanket, and he had his eyes closed, just listening to the gentle breeze rustling the leaves above him, and the soothing babble of the water nearby.

            The white bear sighed contentedly.  _What a wonderful day this is, he thought.  _It's so nice to just lie here like this.  I could stay here all day.__

            *Beep-beep-beep!  Beep-beep-beep!* Just then, his cell phone began to ring, sharply cutting through the serenity of the ambiance.

            _Or, at least, I **would** stay here if I could_, he thought.  He let out a loud sigh as he fished around his waist underneath his cloak for the phone.  With his eyes still closed, he pressed the button to answer the incoming call.

            "Defender Bear here."

            "Hi there, Phoenix.  How are you doing?"  It was Wish Bear on the other line.  Considering it was her turn to work dispatch at the Control Room in the Hall of Hearts, Defender figured this probably wasn't a social call.

            "Oh, I'm doing just fine," he answered.  "Have you been busy?"

            "Actually, now that you've asked, we have been getting a lot of incoming reports here."

            Defender opened his eyes.  "Really?"

            "Yeah, it's very strange—a lot of kids have recently started behaving badly.  We're sending out bears and cousins to all different places, but each mission ends up stopping children from doing mean things."

            "That does sound curious.  Any idea why the sudden surge?" asked Defender.

            "No, nothing yet.  But, maybe you can figure something out."

            Defender laughed slightly.  "Yes, I figured this chat was leading up to this.  So, I take it that it's my turn to head down to Earth, is it?"

            "I hope I wasn't interrupting something important," Wish Bear said apologetically.

            "Naw, I'm ready for some work.  I'll see you in a few.  Defender Bear out."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

            Sure enough, when Defender Bear got his caring mission report, he was asked to discover why three 10-year-old boys were causing trouble in their town, and to try and put a stop to it.  He descended his cloud car low when he reached the town's limits, and that was when Defender saw his objective:  running down the sidewalk were three boys, two with blonde hair, one with brown, each one carrying something in one hand.  Wherever they were headed, their only concern was getting there quickly, as they pushed, shoved, and elbowed anyone or anything in their path.  They wouldn't even stop for crosswalk signals, as a car swerved sharply to avoid them, just missing a nearby light post.

            Defender Bear decided to follow them from high in the air.  The trio finally stopped at an undeveloped plot of land dotted with tall weeds.  They approached a brick wall plastered with graffiti, and it was then the white bear realized what they were planning to do, as each young boy pulled the cap off a can of spray paint.  As they shook the cans, Defender decided he had seen enough.  He landed the cloud car in the middle of the field.

            "Excuse me there, fellas," said the bear from his car.  "I don't think that's such a good idea.  Hasn't that wall suffered enough already?"

            The three boys quickly turned around, clearly not enthused by the interruption.  "Why don't you just bug off!" one of the blonde-haired boys yelled, and he hurled his spray paint can at the bear in the car.  Defender put his arms over his face, but the metal can only struck the small windshield and landed on the ground.

            "Dude, how could you miss like that?" jeered the brown-haired boy.

            "Shuddap!" the boy who threw the can snapped back.

            "I got a better idea," said the third and tallest boy.  "Why don't we paint over something clean, like that teddy bear's car?"

            "Yeah!"

            "Let's do it!"

            When Defender heard the change in plans, he peered through his arms, and saw that all three of them were advancing on the cloud car, he quickly jumped out and stood in front of the car, and held his arms out to each side.  "Hey, hey, let's not do anything rash here," the bear tried to reason.  But, the boys only laughed as they kept on walking.  _Uh oh, Defender thought, _looks like I'm running out of options…__

            "3, 2, 1!  Stare!"  Defender's tummy symbol started to glow, and began to emit its light of caring on the three boys.  At first, it seemed that the stare wasn't having any effect on them, so the bear put more of his energy into his stare.  Sure enough, the mischievous gazes on the boys' faces disappeared, and replaced by one of puzzlement.  Having stopped the incoming threat, Defender finally relaxed his stare, and rested one hand against the hood of the cloud car to catch his breath.

            "Oh, my gosh," exclaimed one kid, "Were we really just about to do what I think we were about to do?"

            "Are you all right, Mr. Care Bear?" the brown-haired boy asked Defender as he approached cautiously.

            "I'm…okay," replied the bear between pants, "and…you can call me…Defender Bear.  But you…you seem like nice kids.  Why on Earth were you causing all this commotion?"

            "Well," the tallest boy explained, "the three of us were just hanging out on our own in the park, when this other boy came from out of nowhere.  He kept asking us things, like, 'How about we cause some trouble?' We really didn't want to, at first, but the more he kept talking to us, the more I started to like the idea."

            "Yeah, that happened to me, too," added the other blonde kid.  "I started to feel funny with that other kid around.  You know, really mean, and stuff."

            "You know what," the brown-haired child chimed in, "I never really did trust that other guy.  He looked weird, too—mop-top red hair, red eyes, and that red jumpsuit!  It looked straight out of the '80s, man!"

            "Hmm, interesting," said Defender as he stroked his chin.  "So, where can I find this 'red' boy?"

            The three boys looked at each other for a moment.  "Come to think of it, we don't know.  We turned around to go start making trouble, and next thing we know, he's gone.  Disappeared.  We have no idea where he went, or even where he came from."

            "Well, that does sound strange.  But, I think some of us have more important things to worry about."

            "Oh, right, all that stuff we did…" said one boy, and they all lowered their eyes.

            "It appears that nothing you did was too severe, so I'm sure if you just apologize and help out a little, it'll all get resolved.  As for this wall, well, maybe you can talk your teachers and maybe your classes could paint it up all nice, or something."

            "Hey, that's not a bad idea," the tall blonde said.  "Thanks for your help, Defender."

            "It was my pleasure," the bear answered.  "I'd better go now.  Remember—keep caring!"

            With that, Defender hopped back into his car, and drove up into the sky as the three boys on the ground waved good-bye.

            Once Defender Bear landed in Care-a-Lot, True Heart Bear and Noble Heart Horse were waiting for his report.

            "Well," he said, "there wasn't a whole lot to it.  The boys were making trouble, and with the help of my stare, I steered them back on the right path.  The only interesting note was that they mentioned something about meeting some other boy, and it was as if he coerced them into misbehaving somehow."  
            "Who was this other boy?" asked Noble Heart.

            "The boys I talked to didn't know who he was.  They just said that he looked kind of peculiar—a mop of red hair, wearing a red jumpsuit, and red eyes.  Strange, isn't it?  That color of eyes doesn't happen in humans, right?  A boy that age, wearing colored contact lenses?  Sounds ridiculous to me."

            "Red hair, eyes, and clothes?" True Heart thought aloud.  "You know, that sounds a lot like—"

            "Like nothing I've ever heard, either," Noble Heart interrupted.  "That'll be all, Defender.  Great job today."

            "Oh…um, okay. Bye, then."  The white was a little confused by the two elder's response, but he simply decided to walk away.  As soon as he was far enough, True Heart, who was still annoyed at being cut off, intently inquired, "What in Care-a-Lot's name was that for, Noble Heart?"

            The elder looked at his companion with a serious gaze.  "Do you really think it's a good idea if we mention 'Dark Heart' around him?  After all, it was Dark Heart who had killed him as a newborn cub.  I'd hate to think what might happen if Defender decides to make a personal vendetta out of this.  Now, I'm not saying he will, but maybe we'd better not take that chance if we don't have to."

            "Well, since you put it like that," True Heart conceded, "maybe we should wait to see if this trend of sightings really does mean Dark Heart has returned."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

            Days passed, and reports of events similar to what Defender Bear had witnessed continued to stream in.  The talk of Dark Heart's return was spreading like wildfire among everyone Care Bear and Care Bear Cousin—everyone except Defender, that is.  True Heart and Noble Heart were still waiting for evidence to support all the claims, so they asked everyone to keep the details from the white bear.  Wish Bear had serious reservations about this, but even she complied.  Unfortunately, the red-haired kid was never around by the time one of them arrived on-scene, and neither Christy nor David could be found at their work or their residence.  Everything managed to remain stable, until…

            At sunrise one morning, Bedtime Bear met True Heart and Noble Heart to give his details of the night before.

            "Another quiet evening," he said.  "However, Funshine, Gentle Heart, and Proud Heart haven't returned from their trip down on Earth yesterday."

            "Noble Heart, I'm starting to get worried.  Do you think this means…?"

            "I'm afraid it's looking more and more that way," the elder answered glumly.  "We need to find out whoever's causing all this trouble, and fast.  Bedtime, get Bright Heart to look into where Proud Heart and the rest of them were last located.  That should give us somewhere to start searching."

            "You got it," Bedtime replied.

            Later that day, when Bright Heart pulled up the log on the missing group's last whereabouts, it was there everyone in the Hall of Heart's Control Room discovered an astounding connection.

            "Guys, look at this!" he shouted.  He pulled up a map, zoomed in on a section of the Earth that was heavily forested with a large lake.  "Watch the trail of blips; those are the signals their phones sent back here.  As I play the log back, watch what happens."

            "They approach the lake, and…they just stop!"  Noble Heart said aloud.

            "Right.  And, do you know where this is?"

            "Wait a second—that's the lake where the summer camp where we fought Dark Heart was!" True Heart realized.

            "Then it must be Dark Heart who's causing all this unrest on Earth and captured the others!" said Tenderheart.

            "That's it, then!" exclaimed Brave Heart Lion.  "I say we all go down and stop him once again.  CHARRRRRGE!!!"  He began to run out the door, but Noble Heart grabbed him by the tail.

            "Easy there, Brave Heart," said Noble Heart, "We don't know what's down there.  Remember the last time you went in there?  Everyone got captured.  We'll need to gather more of us, and tomorrow we'll go and face whatever's down there, Dark Heart or not."

            That night, as Bedtime was making his rounds through town, he noticed someone standing outside, leaning against one of the houses.  As he walked up, he realized it was Defender Bear, and he was looking up at the stars in the sky with his hands behind his head.

            "Can't sleep again?"  Bedtime said to his friend.

            "Yeah," replied the white bear.  "Say, Bedtime, can I tell you something?"

            "What is it?"

            "It might just be me, but I've noticed that everyone's been acting, I don't know, different.  Ever since I returned from a caring mission a few days ago, it's like something's going on around here, and well, I'm feeling kind of left out.  Like there's some kind of big secret.  Sounds crazy, doesn't it?"

            "Umm…" Bedtime wasn't sure how to answer this.  "Maybe just a little?"

            "I thought so.  What a funny thought: Everyone else here knows about something except me on purpose.  I mean, that doesn't sound like something any Care Bear would do, right?"

            "Well, I...I don't know."

            "What do you…?"  At that moment, Defender stopped, and slowly turned his head towards Bedtime, and his eyes widened with astonishment.  "Oh…my…"

            "Okay, Defender, calm down," Bedtime put his hands and arms out in front of him in defense.  "I can explain…"

            "I don't believe this," Defender replied blankly.

            "Just…just listen to me for a moment.  True Heart and Noble Heart found out some information.  All of the recent incidents on Earth had a connection with the past.  We all found out that children were misbehaving because of Dark Heart."

            Defender tilted his head slightly.  "You don't mean, the same Dark Heart who…killed me?"

            "Yes, that Dark Heart.  We're still not sure how it is that he's come back.  However, we also believe he's behind the disappearance of three Family members.  Bright Heart was able to trace where they were last located, and a large group of us were planning to ambush the location this morning."

            Defender lowered his eyes at the news and exhaled deeply.  "And, I wasn't invited?"

            Bedtime shook his head slowly.  "No, for the same reason True Heart and Noble Heart asked everyone not to tell you about what they had suspected—they were worried you might do something drastic, like go down there and face him alone to try and get payback for the past."

            "I see…" said Defender pensively.  "Do you know where this place is?"

            "I do, but I…"  This time, Bedtime turned his gaze away.  "I won't tell you where it is, for the same reason.  But, to be honest, I do feel that bad that we all did this to you.  And, so did Wish Bear, just so you know.  I'm sorry, Defender Bear."

            Defender approached Bedtime slowly, and put his left hand on the blue bear's back, just below his neck.  "Well, I do have to admit, I'm a little disappointed at this news, and yet, I'm also a bit humbled that you'd all be so concerned about me.

            "And, I would also like to say that I'm sorry."

            "Really?  For what?" asked Bedtime, but he'd never hear the answer to his question.  For right then, Defender patted Bedtime's back once, and it caused him to faint.  Defender caught his friend in his other arm.  "For that," the bear replied without emotion as he lifted the sleeping Bedtime onto his back.  Looking around to make sure no one had witnessed what had happened, Defender stepped into his house.  He lay Bedtime onto the bed, and stood above him.

            "Bedtime," he spoke softly, "can you hear me?"

            A few seconds later:  "Yes," answered the entranced Bedtime, his eyes still closed.

            "I want you know that I really hate myself for what I'm doing to you," he paused briefly.  "But, I order you to tell me—where is the ambush taking place?"

            "On the ground below…there is a campground…by a lake.  Care-a-Lot…will pass over…the site soon."

            With that information, Phoenix Audubon slowly turned around, and opened the door outside.  He turned his head slightly behind him.

            "Sleep well tonight, my friend," he said forlornly.  "I'm sure it'll be a rough morning…for all of us."  And then, he stepped out, and closed the door.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

            "Phoenix, are you up yet?"  Wish Bear called out to her best friend, pounding on his front door.  "Today's going to be quite a day.  I can feel it."

            Wish heard the doorknob turn, and to her surprise, she saw Bedtime peek his head out from inside.

            "Bedtime?  What are you doing here?  Where's Phoenix?"

            "Um, you see," he started to say, "Defender and I had a little talk last night."

            "Oh, no.  He knows?"

            "I don't know," Bedtime replied awkwardly.  "My guess is probably."

            "We'd better go tell True Heart and Noble Heart right away.  Come on, Bedtime!"  Wish grabbed Bedtime by his hand and took off for the cloudmobile landing strip, where the two elders, along with several other bears and cousins, were making final preparations for their plan of attack.  Noble Heart Horse was the first to notice the two bears running towards them.

            "Wish Bear?  And Bedtime?  What is it?" he enquired.

            "We don't know where Defender Bear is, Noble Heart," Wish Bear explained.  And, when I went to meet him this morning, the only one there was Bedtime."

            "Oh, dear," said the elder horse.  "Does he know, Bedtime?"

            "Well, he knew that we weren't telling him about Dark Heart, so I explained to him why we did it, but I told him I wouldn't tell him where we were going.  But, then, he put his arm around my back, and…well, that's the last thing I remember."

            This news started a bit of a clamor as everyone began to voice their opinions.

            "Well, I think we all saw this coming," muttered Grumpy Bear.

            "Can you blame him?" interjected Loyal Heart Dog.  "After what we did, not telling him probably made him even more eager to take Dark Heart on by himself."

            "Which only proves that True Heart and Noble Heart were right," Share Bear commented.

            "I wonder if he hasn't already beaten Dark Heart," said Tugs.

            "Enough, everybody!" True Heart shouted above them.  "What's done is done.  Since there hasn't been any word from Defender Bear, we will continue as planned.  It's time, everybody.  Care Bear Family, move out!"

            The entire group consisted of True Heart, Noble Heart, Tenderheart Bear, Brave Heart Lion, Grumpy, Loyal Heart, Share, Swift Heart Rabbit, Tugs, Lotsa Heart Elephant, Champ Bear, Bright Heart Raccoon, Hugs Bear, Cheer Bear, Good Luck Bear, Wish, and Bedtime.  They all got into cloud cars, and took off for the summer camp by the lake.

            When they got there, it was not the bustling camp they had first experienced years ago.  Now, many of the buildings were in a dilapidated state.  Most of the paint on the totem poles had faded away.  The dock was missing some wooden planks, and the only canoe nearby was partially submerged.  The Care Bears landed in the thick of the woods, and carefully made their way towards the campsite.

            "Stay quiet, everyone," Noble Heart ordered softly from the front.  "Keep watch for anything around, but stay close."

            "That won't be a problem for Good Luck," grumbled Grumpy nodding his heads towards his associate who was practically breathing down his neck.  "Heh-heh, sorry about that Grumpy," Good Luck apologized and took a few steps back.  That was when he heard something rustle the bushes behind him.  He let out a muffled yelp and jumped back to Grumpy's side.

            "Good Luck!"

            "Something else is here," he said anxiously.  All the Care Bears quickly turned around to see what was coming through the thicket.  Suddenly, some humans stepped out.  Some of the Care Bears screamed, then the humans screamed, and then everyone started yelling out before they all started shushing each other to be quiet.

            Brave Heart was the first to recognize the humans.  "Look, everyone, it's Christy and David!"

            "And Dawn and John," chimed in Lotsa Heart.  "And that's the truth!"

            "Hi, Care Bears," Christy greeted.  "What are you all doing here?"

            "I think a better question is what _he is doing here," said Grumpy, pointing to David._

            "Hey, I'm a good guy now, remember?" David answered back.  "In fact, I came here to stop…um, myself."

            "What are you talking about?" asked True Heart.  "You mean you're not the one causing the children to be mean and uncaring?"

            "No, it's not me.  I can explain.  Apparently, when you all stopped me long ago, what we thought was gone actually wasn't.  All this time, somewhere inside me, that evil boy I used to be lay in wait for another chance at the world, and all of you.  Several nights ago, he somehow managed to split himself from me, and now, he's been influencing the minds of kids all over to do nasty things.  Christy and I have been trying to stop him, but by the time we get to one of his incidents, he's long gone.  Finally, we thought we'd come back to where it all started, to see if maybe he was hiding out here."

            "We called Dawn and John for help," said Christy, "but I see we now have a lot more."

            "I still can't believe this is happening again!" David started again.  "I swore I'd never let this happen again, and now look at where we are.  All this time, I feared that I might somehow relapse into my evil ways, but now, it's not even me that's causing all this trouble.  Well, in a way it is me, and that just makes it all the more frustrating!"

            True Heart took the man's hand into her own.  "I think we all understand what it is you're trying to say.  And, I also believe I speak for everyone when I say we'd be more than happy to work together with you to prevent the past from happening all over again."

            David nodded and smiled.  The new coalition made their way to the main lodge of the camp.  They opened the door slowly, but it still squealed loudly from lack of use.  Inside, the group was surprised by what they saw.

            "The inside of the lodge…is a cave," Christy summarized.  Indeed, it appeared to be an enormous cavern with a ceiling much higher than the lodge that "housed" it.  It was dank and dark, and it took a moment or two for their eyes to adjust to recognize the pale green hue of the stone.

            "Is it just me, or does this place seem far too familiar the last time we were here?" asked Grumpy to the rest of the group.

            "You're right, Grumpy," answered Brave Heart.  "All that's missing is—"

            "Look over there!"  Tenderheart said loudly as he ran towards some formations.  They were dome-shaped structures of the same stone as the rest of the cave, arranged like a mangled net of sorts.

            "These look like the cages we were trapped in the last time," Bright Heart said.

            "But, these cages are empty," Tenderheart said as he walked around the cages.  "Where are Funshine, Proud Heart, and Gentle Heart?"

            "It looks like we've got somewhere else to look." John pointed towards a dim light further within the cavern.

            "That must be where Dark Heart's lair is," mused Noble Heart.  "I fear that he's got some kind of trap waiting there for us all."

            "But if our friends are there, we have no choice but to press on," advocated Loyal Heart.  His sentiment was silently shared by all, and so they carefully made their way towards the light.  It led to an opening, and inside somewhat resembled a great hall.  The walls were the same rough natural cave rock, but the floor was much smoother, and across the middle of the room, ran a long, wide red carpet, which followed up three steps to a small platform.  On that platform was an empty throne.  Though the one torch on each side of the wall provided little light, they could see some of it reflecting off several red crystals adorning the throne.  Though the ceiling didn't seem to require any support, there were four tall pillars that stretched to the top of the room.

            "Does anyone see anything?" Dawn called out to the rest.

            "Not me.  It looks like Dark Heart isn't here," said Bedtime.

            "Nor are our friends," added Swift Heart.  "We'll have to look somewhere else."

            "Leaving so soon?"

            Everyone gasped at the unexpected voice.  But everyone knew who it belonged to.

            "Dark Heart!" Noble Heart yelled out.  "Show yourself!"

            "You mean, I went through all this trouble to set up this atmosphere for you, my old 'friends', and it doesn't please you?  You have no idea how much that hurts me."

            "Enough of your tricks, Dark Heart," roared Brave Heart.  "What have you done with our friends?"

            "No 'it's been a long time, Dark Heart.'  Or, 'Dark Heart, where have you been?'  You Care Bears never did much else except try to order me around.  Oh, and you also foiled my plans.  But, if you really want to see your friends, then I won't keep you waiting."  The Care Bears and the humans heard a finger snap, and instantly the room brightened considerably.  Now, they could see their nemesis, Dark Heart, sitting smugly on his throne, watching with a satisfied smirk.  And, they could now see what had become of the missing Care Bears.  Each pillar turned out to be a roughly-hewn column of the same red crystal as those on Dark Heart's throne.  And within each of those pillars, they could see Funshine, Gentle Heart, and Proud Heart, motionless deep within the column.

"So many of us here, and yet, we're still missing some guests," Dark Heart continued his tirade.  "You all saved me so much trouble instead of me having to look for you.  I suppose we'll just have to wait until the rest arrive."  He snapped his fingers again, but nothing seemed to happen.

"Hey!  The opening's gone!" Dawn shouted.  Everyone turned around to see that in fact, the wall behind them was now solid.

"Let us go, Dark Heart!  And, let our friends go!" shouted True Heart.

"Ha, ha, ha!  Do you honestly believe that after all the time I waited to get a second chance to imprison each and every one of you, so that I can rule this world and drain it of all its kindness, I'll just let you get away again?  You haven't changed all this time; you Care Bears are just as ignorant as ever!  It's because of you, and that girl Christy that someone _did change."  He turned towards David.  "We could have had this world, but instead, you let us become worthless like these humans!"_

"No!  I don't want to destroy this world anymore!  I'm not you anymore!"  David shouted back.  "What happened back then was a mistake I swore I'd never repeat.  And, I'm here to make sure it doesn't!"

"You stop me?  Oh, don't make me laugh!  You don't even have any of the power we had.  Just what makes you think you or those Care Bears will be able to stop me?  Why don't you take a look at that pillar over there?"  He motioned towards the pillar closest to the group.  They gathered around, trying to discern who was inside.

"Oh no…" whispered Wish Bear, when she recognized the prisoner.  Grumpy put his arm around Wish to comfort her from the sight of seeing Defender Bear trapped and frozen within.  His fists were clenched and down at his side as if he was eager to resume the struggle.

"This strange bear burst in here some time, saying that I killed him as a newborn cub.  I remember that one…we took great satisfaction in snuffing that life out, didn't we, David?"  David said nothing, and turned his gaze away from his younger counterpart.  "I don't know how he came back, but I enjoyed the thought of fixing this 'oversight'.  I must admit, he put up quite a fight, but once again, he was no match for me!  And, what do you think of my handiwork?  Much better than that chandelier; at life-size, these crystal columns really capture the suffering in their faces!"  Dark Heart laughed loudly as he continued his gloating.  "Oh, but don't worry, Care Bears.  You'll all get your own place soon enough.  In fact, why don't we start right now?"

With those words, Dark Heart stood up from his throne, and waved his hand up.  This caused a strong wind to rush towards the group, knocking everyone back against the wall; everyone except Good Luck and Lotsa Heart. They were now floating off the floor, halfway to the ceiling, flailing around but getting nowhere.  Suddenly, a brilliant flash of red light flooded the room, and when it faded, Good Luck and Lotsa Heart were now each trapped with the crystal column just like the other four.  John, Dawn, Christy, David, and all the Care Bears cried out at the horrible turn of events.

"Stop this right now, Dark Heart!" Noble Heart ordered.

"Well, regrettably, it takes a great effort to lock you animals away like that.  But since no one's going anywhere right now, we've got plenty of time to spend together before someone else's turn comes up."

"We won't let you imprison anyone else!" said True Heart.  "Care Bear Family!  Prepare to stare!"

With that, every Care Bear and Cousin lined up alongside the two elders and joined hands.

"Three!  Two!  One!  Care Bear Family…stare!"

The fifteen remaining members' tummy symbols lit up, and the spread of stares all struck Dark Heart at the same time.  He yelped out and covered his face with his arms from all the caring.  He jumped behind his throne to try and get away from the offensive.

"Oh no, you don't!" shouted Dark Heart.  He hurled several red lightning bolts at the bears and cousins, scattering them in all directions.

"There's not a lot of room to run in here," Brave Heart assessed.  "It could just be a matter of time before we're all cornered."

"I have an idea, but I need some time," offered Bright Heart, "Can you cover for me?"

"We've got you covered, little buddy," said Brave Heart.  "Go get on it!"

So Bright Heart, Christy and David ducked behind one of the crystal columns while John, Dawn, and the rest of the Care Bear Family tried to distract Dark Heart by running around the room as a sort of shooting parlor—avoiding the lightning blasts while darting across the large room from pillar to pillar.  Meanwhile, Bright Heart pulled some cables out of his vest pocket, and started to take apart his caring phone as Christy and David watched over him.

            "What are you doing?" inquired Christy.

            "You'll see," replied the raccoon without even looking up as he continued his modification.  Meanwhile, Dark Heart's aim continued to sharpen, as he just missed hitting True Heart with one of his bolts.  The close call caused her to stumble and fall on the ground.  Noble Heart quickly dashed and helped his partner out of the way before another lightning bolt struck the ground where True Heart had been seconds ago.

            "I've got it!" Bright Heart shouted.  His phone was now in two pieces, hooked together by a cable.  He held one piece against one of the red crystal columns and then pressed a button on the other pieced.  Christy and David could hear a faint but high-pitched whine coming from the modified phone.  David had his hand on the crystal, and it was then he felt it shake under his hand.  Bright Heart slowly turned up the volume of the pitch's output, and the vibration intensified, causing the red pillar to start cracking.  When Dark Heart heard the loud cracking sound, he noticed his older self standing next to the breaking column.

            "Get away from there!  I won't let you ruin my plans!" he screamed as he threw several red lightning bolts at Bright Heart, Christy and David.  They dove out of the way and curled up on the ground as bits of the wall above them rained down from the impact.

            "Is everybody all right?" David asked as he looked around.

            "I'm okay," answered Bright Heart, "but my phone isn't."  On the ground next to him lay his phone, crushed by a sizeable rock blasted off the wall.  However, that wouldn't matter, for within the crystal column they had been trying to crack was Defender Bear, and soon after the shaking stopped, his eyes snapped open.  Everyone in the room began to see the column vibrate again without Bright Heart's help.  It continued to crack until it finally broke altogether, sending a shower of red fragments all around.  Defender Bear himself floated slowly onto the floor, and as soon as he landed, Wish Bear quickly ran up to him.

            "You're free, Defender!  Are you all right?" she said as she hugged him strongly, unbalancing him for a bit.

            "I am," he said as he looked around the room, "but some of our friends are still trapped.  But thanks to Bright Heart, I've got an idea on how I can set them all free at once."

            The good guys all watched as Defender walked into the center of the room.  He stopped, turned and faced Dark Heart (who was now clenching his teeth contemptuously).  He put his hands straight out in front of him.  Everyone expected the bear was going to take a shot at their foe, but instead, he put his hands around his neck, looking like he was about to strangle himself.  He drew a deep breath, and began to scream.  But it was no ordinary scream—it was in the same pitch that Bright Heart's phone gave off, but was much louder than the device.  Every Care Bear, human, and evil being covered their ears, wincing from the intensity of the noise.  One by one, the crystal pillars began to crack and shatter, releasing the imprisoned bears and cousins from within.  Even then, Defender continued with his augmented shouting until it was voice that finally cracked.  He gasped before falling to his knees in a coughing fit.  Tenderheart ran up to Defender and helped him to his feet.  Defender nodded that he was okay, and they both hurried back towards the others.

Needless to say, Dark Heart wasn't happy with the sudden turn of events.  "What have you done!? You may have escaped my crystal prison, but mark my words, you won't leave this room!"  His whole body started to glow a bright red in preparation for a grand-scale attack.

Brave Heart decided it was time for another group front against Dark Heart.  Everyone (including Defender and the other former captives) lined up to stare.  "Everyone ready?" asked Tenderheart looked to either side to double-check.  "All right, then.  Three!  Two!  One!  Care Bears, stare!"

Just as they released their stares, Dark Heart unleashed his thunderous attack.  Both energies clashed in the middle of the room in a shower of sparks, each side trying to maintain their strength against the other.  However, the five additional members seemed to have made the difference as the combined stare began to push Dark Heart's red lighting back towards him, until he is finally overpowered and he is engulfed by all of the stare's power.  He falls to the floor, severely weakened.  But so are the Care Bears, as it took everything we had.

"What do we do now?" asked Good Luck between pants as he leaned his arm against Lotsa Heart's shoulder.  Noble Heart was about to say something, but right then, Defender Bear tapped the elder's shoulder, and pointed his thumb behind him, towards David.  At the first, the man wasn't sure what the bear was referring to, but when Defender pointed at Dark Heart, the look in his eyes inspired David somehow, and he walked out towards his weakened younger self.

Dark Heart had to struggle to lift his head to see who was approaching.  Despite the stoic look in his older self's complexion, he entreated to him.  "Please…won't you help me?  We can still…rule this world!  Together…no one will be able to stop us!"

For a moment, neither one of them moved.  Then, it appeared that Dark Heart's might have struck a chord with David, as he appeared to offer his hand to his former self.  All the Care Bears and Cousins gasped collectively.  They feared the worst…

….until David slapped away Dark Heart's hand with the back of his own.

"No," said David, his eyes still fixated on his younger self beneath him.  "All these years, I was afraid.  I was afraid that I would relapse into what I used to be.  After all I had done to make up for my mistakes, I couldn't shake the thought that I might mess up one more time.  Now I see that I was wrong.  I was still holding on to the past, and look where that's brought us, where it's brought me.  I see you down there, and I see something that hasn't changed.  But I have changed.  I was worrying about me, when instead it was you I should have been careful about.  I didn't know you still existed, but you have only served to prove me right.  What happened here years ago should have never have been repeated.  But, we are here because you never learned your lesson then.  I changed, and look where I am now.  I have a great job, and great friends.  But you, you didn't learn, and now we I see what could've happened if I hadn't changed."  With that, he started to turn around to walk away.

"Don't you leave me here!" yelled Dark Heart.  "You're a coward!  A coward!  You haven't changed!  Deep down inside, I know you still want it.  You crave the power we once had.  Admit it—you need me!"

David's face grew angrier at the sound of those words.  "You're sadly mistaken.  Read my lips:  I. Don't. Need. You!"

With that final declaration, Dark Heart began to hyper-age before everyone's eyes.  His bright red hair faded to gray, and his skin started to wrinkle.  And just as quickly, starting from the tip of his toes, he began to fade to dust, until there was nothing but a pile of sparkling red powder, in the shape of a young boy.

"I think…it's finally over," said True Heart, the first to speak.  But just then, the hall began to quake violently, and rocks from the ceiling began to drop all around them.

"It's just like last time," shouted Noble Heart.  "We've got to get out of here!"

"But how?" asked Bright Heart.  "The way we came in is gone!"

"Uh, that may not be a problem," Grumpy commented as he watched Defender Bear's hands catch fire.  He put one fist into the other, raised them over his head, and swung down on the wall with all his might.  With a loud "Boom!" the wall cracked and broke open, revealing the way out.  Everyone ran as fast as they could out of the cave, back outside at the summer camp.  They all watched as the main lodge collapsed and kicked up a huge dust cloud.

"It really is over, isn't it?" said David blankly.  He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see that it belonged to Christy.  "I'm so happy for all of us, but especially you, David," she said, making her best friend blush.  Everyone laughed at the candid sight.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"You want some more ice cream, Phoenix?" asked Wish Bear.  Defender was sitting up in his bed, as he just finished another bowl.

"Why does he get to sit around like that?" griped Grumpy.

"Take Care said he really strained his vocal cords with that shout of his.  He just has to remain silent for a few days."

"So why aren't we celebrating?" Grumpy giggled at his own joke, but his laughter quickly changed to a yelp of pain.  He jumped away from the side of the bed, rubbing his backside.  He turned to see Defender with one of his fingers crackling with electricity.  The white bear started to scribble on a pad of paper, his only means of communications in his current state.  He turned the pad towards Grumpy, and it read, _Not funny_.  "Humph.  He has to have the last laugh, even when he can't talk," Grumpy grumbled as he walked out, still massaging the sore area.  Defender laughed silently.

A bit later, True Heart and Noble Heart came into Defender's house to see how he was doing.  "Feeling any better?" asked True Heart.  "_Not any worse_" was the answer on the notepad.

"Listen, Defender," Noble Heart started to say.  "I just want to say, on behalf of everyone, that we're sorry that we didn't tell you about Dark Heart before, but I think we all know why we did it.  You're not mad, are you?"

_No, I'm not.  We're both wrong.  Call it even._

"That sounds…er, I mean…that's good.  Anyways, some friends are here for you.  They also wanted to see how you were doing."

When the door opened, David and Christy walked.

"Hi, everyone," greeted David, "we wanted to see how everyone was doing.  I still feel bad for what you all had to go through.  But, I can't thank you enough for helping me defeat…um, myself.  It's like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.  We're both grateful."

"And, we've got great news," added Christy.  "David and I had decided to get married!"  
            "Really?" said True Heart.  "That's great!  We're so happy for the both of you!"

"So are we," David smiled as he spoke.  "This way, we'll have a great future.  In a way, it makes up for a less-than-perfect past, you might say."

And so, a couple of weeks later, the wedding ceremony was held in the Hall of Hearts.  It was a wonderful time.  David and Christy invited several people: John and Dawn, as well as other campers they kept in touch with, Christy's family, and the co-workers David's photography studio, although they seemed a bit uneasy about being in such a place.  Still, a great time was had by all, and the entire Care Bear Family shared a panoramic photo with the new couple to remember this special occasion.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A few days later, Wish Bear got a message from Defender Bear to meet him in the Forest of Feelings under a tree near the Caring River's waterfall that night.  She had to play back the message on her phone several times since it sounded rather hoarse, which she assumed meant his voice hadn't fully returned just yet.  Still, she went to the meeting place that evening.  All the while, she was looking at the moon, a perfect crescent this night.  When she arrived, she found Defender Bear standing there still and silent, watching the water cascade from the high cliff.  A light, cool wind tossed the tail of his cloak a bit.

"I'm here, Phoenix," she said aloud softly.

The white bear turned around when he heard the voice.  "I…I wanted to tell you…something," he tried to say.  There was a definite rasp to his voice, and he had to struggle to form the words.

"You shouldn't be talking right now," Wish admonished him.  "What's so important that you had to tell me now, and here?"

Phoenix inhaled deeply before he spoke.  "Wish Bear, I've…known you…for some time now.  It hasn't been…very long, but…I…my feelings for you…have never been…stronger than they…are now.  When I saw the…two humans…getting married, I…I…" He had to stop to keep his composure.  "I want…the same thing…for us."

"Oh, my stars," said Wish, very much flustered by the surprise show of affection.  "Phoenix, are you asking me to…to…marry you?"

"You can call…call it what…you want.  We don't…even need…need a big…cere-…cere-…it doesn't have…to be a big thing.  I'll just…say it now."

Phoenix got down to one knee, and he took Wish's paw in his.

"Wish Bear, I, Phoenix Audubon, Defender Bear, do hereby…promise to you…that I will always…be your faithful…companion.  I promise…that I will…protect you from…any harm.  I promise…to always be…truthful.  I promise…I will never…take the…the…"  He was feeling really scared now, but he knew there was no going back now.  "I promise…I will never…take…the…love…that you have…for me as…as granted.  And, I promise…that I will…do all this…for as long as…I live."

Phoenix looked up at Wish, and he could see the tears welling up in her eyes.  She sniffed her nose, and wiped her eyes with her forearm.

"Oh, Phoenix, I want you to know that this makes me feel so happy, even if you see me crying.  And, I, Wish Bear, do promise to you, that I will do the same for you, as long as we are together."

Phoenix stood up, and they both embraced each other, silently crying on each other's shoulder.  Only the roar of the waterfall could be heard, and right now, it sounded to the two bears like applause, just like the one they gave to David and Christy earlier.  They pulled back to look in each other's eyes for a moment, before they softly kissed.  Finally, when all was said and done, Wish Bear said, "We should probably head back home.  You need you rest."  Phoenix nodded in agreement.

And so it was that Wish Bear and Defender Bear established their bond with this pact.  As they walked back holding hands, they both wondered what kind of amazing future was in store for them…

THE END

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Author's Notes:

Project Date:  August 21, 2003—September 29, 2003

_Special Thanks To:  _"Swift Heart Rabbit" for criticism, editing, and music selection.

_The Care Bears and Care Bears Cousins are the property of American Greetings Corp, Nelvana Ltd, and Those Characters From Cleveland, Inc.  No relationship with any of the aforementioned companies is implied by this work._

_The story is the original idea of the author and is not intended to represent any real event.  Furthermore, the uses of the characters are not meant to represent any real person, explicitly or implied.  Any use of the story, in whole or in part, must not be completed without the prior consent of the author._


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